Raft gusset



May 1, 1962 F. P. DICKOW 3,031,694

RAFT GUSSET Filed. Aug. 5, 1959 INVENTOR. FRE DER ICK P. DICKOW.

United States .Patent 3,031,694 RAFT GUSSET Frederick P. Dickow, Auburn,N.Y., assigner to The Eastern Company, a corporation of ConnecticutFiled Aug. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 831,876 4 Claims. (Cl. 9-11) This inventionrelates to a gusset for securing drums having cylindrical end flanges toframe members of a raft or the like.

Oil drums, such as the 55 gallon type, are frequently employed as airchambers for floats or rafts. It has been a problem to fasten such drumsin a permanent, secure manner to timbers or frame members, it beingunderstood that in float applications, the drums and raft are subject toconstant buffeting from the elements and the drums must remain airtight.

The present invention is directed to a gusset which may be cast ofmalleable iron or the like, and which is vadapted to secure drums toframe members, such as 2" x 6", in nested position beneath the deck orooring. The gussetsare so formed as to grip the cylindrical end ilangesof the drum, without piercing the drum, and are adapted to be attachedin a firm manner to the raft frame members immediately adjacent the rimof the drums.

The above and other novel features ofthe invention will appear morefully hereinafterfrom the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understoodthat the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and arenot designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, referencebeing had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary view of a raft corner from beneath showing theapplication of the gussets to the frame members and a drum;

FIGURE 2. is a fragmentary side elevational view of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the gusset;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the gusset;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of one gussetof a modied form shown aixed to a raft frame member and drum end flange;and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view, partly in section taken substantially onthe line 4 4.

Referring to FIGURE 1 there is shown a corner of a raft, from beneathhaving a side frame member 10, and an end frame member 12 securedtogether in any suitable manner as by angle pieces 13, and an insideframe member 14 disposed parallel with the side frame member 10, andspaced therefrom by the length of an oil drum, such as 16. Suitableplanking 18, diagonally or otherwise disposed forms a flooring or deck,immediately above the drum, as indicated in FIGURE 2. Common oil drumsare approximately 23" in diameter, and the frame members may be standard2" x 6 of suitable weather resistant timber. The ends of the drums havecylindrical flanges 20, which form the seam between the cylindrical body22, and the end head 24.

In order to secure drums which are at least four in number, one in eachcorner of the raft, to the frame members, gussets having a plate portion2'3, with a face 25 adapted to engage the side of a frame member isprovided. The plate portion is provided with a right angle integralshoulder portion 27, the face 26 of which is adapted to engage theunder-surface of a frame member. An aperture 28 for a bolt or lag screw29 is provided.

Oppositely facing at one end is an arcuate shoulder portion 31 having aconcave face 30 of a radius corresponding to the exterior cylindricalrim surface of a drum, and

in practice, this radius may be 111/2 for use with standard 55 gallondrums. The face Sil forms together with the ears 32 and 34, an arcuaterecess 35 to receive the end ange of a drum, and the recess has a depthas at 36 reaching to the plane of the face 25. Each of the ears 32 and34 are cast integral with the gusset, and are provided with a bracingweb 37, and the ears are provided with threaded apertures 38 to receivea set screw 4G, with preferably a locking nut 42. The shoulder portion27, and the arcuate portion 31 are joined by an integral web 39.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the face 25 and shoulder face 26 snugly litagainst the inside facing and bottom surfaces of the respective framemembers 10 and 14, and are rigidly secured in position by a bolt 29. Theend anges of the drum are seated in the arcuate recesses 35 of thegussets, and securely clamped by drawing up the set screws 4t). -Inplacing the gussets, four are rst aiixed to the drum ends, with thesurfaces 26 all lying in a common plane, and thereafter the drum islocated between the frame members 10 and 14, and the gussets securedthereto as by the bolts 29. It will be seen that the drum issubstantially tangential to the under surface of the decl; structure, byreason of the selection of a proper relation between the center of thearcuate recess, and the face 26, itvbeing understood that therelationship will vary for gussets adapted to be employed with timbersand tanks of different dimensions from those hereinabove referred to forexplanatory purposes. It will thus be seen that the plane 26 of theflange 27 bears a chordal relation to the circle on which the arc of therecess 35 is formed, and the plane 26, when the gusset is applied to aframe member 1t) is located a distance from the underside of theplanking 18 by a distance approximating the width of the member 10, theplane 26 of the flange 27 when so mounted is parallel with the undersideof the planking 18, which is tangent to the rim of the drum.

In FIGURES 5 and 6 a similar but somewhat modified form of gusset isshown, wherein frame member faces 5i) and 52 are provided together withan arcuate tank engaging tace 54, having a single clamping flange 56,forming an arcuate recess for the tank end flange, the ange 55 havingset screws 40.

It will be seen that both modifications are readily capable of beingcast, or forged, and in practice for economy and resistance to weather,may be preferably malleable iron castings.

By the use of four gussets, constituting two pairs of a right and lefthand gusset for each drum, the drum is securely held between the framemembers in a permanent manner. If desired, the frame members may bespaced the same distance as the length of the drum, and the drum endscaused to snugly t between the frame members. Should a drum requirereplacement, the gussets may be quickly loosened and reused to clamp areplacement drum.

While a single modification of the invention with a slight variation hasbeen illustrated and described, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the constructionand arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention, as will 'oe apparent to those skilled in the art, referencewill be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

l. An integral gusset for rigidly securing cylindrically anged drum endsin abutting relation to a platform frame member 0f rectangular section,comprising a plate portion having a planar surface at one end adapted toengage the side face of a frame member and having centrally thereof anupstanding tlange having a surface facing said end at right angles tosaid planar surface and adapted to engage the edge face of the framemember, said plate portion at its other end having an axially deep andradially narrow arcuate recess beyond said flange and entering from theopposite side of the plate from the tlange side thereof, and of a depthextending to the plane of said planar surface, and means radiallydisposed in respect to the recess for clamping the cylindrical end rimof a drum in said recess, the plane of said flange surface bearing achordal relation to the circle of the arc of said arcuate recess, bybeing disposed radially inward from a tangent of the circle of said arcextending parallel with said plane by the approximate width of the framemembers for which the gusset is adapted.

2. An integral gusset for rigidly securing cylindrically flanged drumends in abutting relation to a platform frame member of rectangularsection, comprising a plate portion having a planar surface at one endadapted to engage the side face of a frame member and having centrallythereof an upstanding ange having a surface facing said end at rightangles to said planar surface adapted to engage the edge face of theframe member, an attachment aperture through said plate portion at saidplanar surface end, said plate portion at its other end having anaxially deep and radially narrow arcuate recess beyond said flange andentering from the opposite side of the plate, from the flange sidethereof, and of a depth extending to the plane of said planar surface,and means radially disposed in respect to the recess for clamping thecylindrical end rim of a drum in said recess, said means comprisingthreaded set screws, the plane of said flange surface bearing a chordalrelation to the circle of the arc of said arcuate recess, by beingdisposed radially inward from a tangent of the circle of said arcextending parallel with said plane'by the approximate width of the framemembers for which the gusset -is adapted.

3. An integral gusset for rigidly securing eylindrically flanged drumends in abutting relation to a platform frame member comprising a plateportion at one end adapted on one side to engage the side face of aframe member, said plate portion at its other end having an axially deepand radially narrow arcuate recess entering from the opposite side oftie plate and extending at least to the plane of the one side of theplate portion for clamping the cylindrical end rim of a drum abuttingthe side face of the frame member.

4. A float having a deck and parallel spaced frame members therebeneathhaving facing parallel surfaces, an air drum located beneath the deckand having an arcuate portion of its end flanges abutting and bearingdirectly against the facing surfaces of `said spaced frame members andbearing tangentially against the underside of the deck, and a pair ofintegral gussets secured to each of the facing surfaces of said spacedframe members exterior of the air drum end flange, said gussets havingan arcuate recess for embracing the rim of said drum entirely beyond thesaid arcuate portion of the end ange embraced between said framemembers.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 42,594Park May 3, 1864 2,466,323 Meyer Apr. 5, 1949 2,745,118 lPotts May 15,1956 2,962,996 Smith Dec. 6, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,048,312 Germany Ian.8, 1959

